I Wanna Love You
by AmandaMarieJohnson333
Summary: Sometimes, dong what you think is right pulls you into the darkness, and sometimes, the last person you expect to help you pulls you out.
1. Ch 1

**HEY, GUYS! THIS IS A STORY FROM MY OLD PROFILE & I WANTED TO CONTINUE IT SO I TOOK IT, MADE SOME CHANGES & CHANGED THE TITLE. HERE'S THE FIRST CHAPTER FIRST & THEN I'LL CONTINUE. PLEASE R/R!**

"Oh my god" Willow Rosenberg said as she and her best friend, Buffy Summers made their way up to her room. They had a large bowl of popcorn and two cans of soda.

"I know, he is so hot. God, if I could just…ooh!" Buffy squealed as they sat on Willow's bed.

"He is a hottie" Willow said, putting a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

"Yeah…but no use ranting over something I could never have" Buffy said.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"Come on, Will, a girl like me, hooking up with a guy like that, please. That would happen when hell froze over" Buffy said taking the remote and turning on the movie. Willow took the remote from her and turned it back off.

"Buffy, you're doing it again" Willow said.

"What? What am I doing?" Buffy asked.

"W-well one, y-you're being all…y-you know, avoidy and stuff, and two you keep putting yourself down. You have the lowest self-esteem of anyone I have ever met, even lower than me, and that's low" Willow said.

"I'm fine" Buffy said.

"Yes, if you define 'fine' as having lots of issues, then yes, you are defiantly fine" Willow said.

"Look, it's just that, I've had my share of bad relationships. I just don't have very good luck with this sort of thing…and the thing that happened…before that, I was…considered 'cool'. One moment, one stupid mistake, and it was all taken from me, everything. I went from beauty princess to…" Buffy trailed off.

"My best friend?" Willow offered with a small smile. Buffy smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry, Will. I don't mean to bring you down. Bad—bad, Buffy" Buffy said jokingly.

"No, it's okay. I understand. I mean, if I had everything, I'd certainly not want to be hanging with someone like me" Willow said.

"What do you mean 'someone like you'? Will, you're a great person. You are the only one I can talk to that I know would always keep my secrets. You are my best friend, and you always will be" Buffy said. Willow smiled and Buffy smiled back. "So, speaking of relationships. Taking a couple steps back to darker blue waters, what about you and Oz? He seems..."

"Not my type?"

"Sure he is."

"Oh yeah cuz I always date musicians" Willow said sarcastically.

"You could" Buffy said.

"And you could date Spike" Willow told her.

"No, no I couldn't. And if you say anything I'll kill you" Buffy warned.

"I won't" Willow promised. Finally she turned the TV back on and they began to watch the movie.

Cordelia Chase and her gang were sitting on the bleachers watching the football players practice. Lindsey with her acrylic nails and designer sunglasses, Harmony with her new nose and her designer perfume, Haylee with her lipstick and new designer jacket, and then there was Cordelia, with her designer everything. From contacts to socks, everything was designer and cost a fortune.

"Look at that guy" Cordelia pointed out number forty-three, David Hallard.

"Ooh, score" Harmony said.

"Mmm-hmm, I'm tellin' ya, girls, there is nothing like knowing you could have any guy in the world" Cordelia smiled.

"So, who are you going to pick? The junior prom's coming up" Lindsey asked.

"Um…" Cordelia said, scanning the football field with her eyes, and then they traveled past it to the pavement. There he was. A leather-bound, bleached blonde hottie. "Him." They all looked at Spike.

"Wait, Spike Jamison? Cordy, I don't think that's a good idea" Lindsey said.

"Nobody asked you" Cordelia scoffed.

"Cordy, she's right, he's dangerous. He's into, you know, all those kinds of things dangerous people are. Drugs—" Harmony began.

"Sex and rock and roll? My kinda guy" Cordelia smiled and stood up and walked down the bleachers, her friends following.

"Cordelia, stop! He hangs out with the biggest druggies in our school. You don't do drugs, it's bad for the complexion" Harmony said.

"I'm not gonna do drugs. There's no way I would ruin this face when I spend so much money on designer makeup. Just come on" Cordelia said and walked up to Spike and his gang. He was sitting on the steps smoking a cigarette with his friends. "Hi."

"Uh…hey" Spike said grimly.

"What do you want, Malibu Princess?" Tatiana asked sarcastically.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you, that's for sure. I don't communicate with the dead" Cordelia spat back. Tatiana started to get up, but Spike stopped her.

"Tot, hold your knickers. What do you want?" he asked Cordelia.

"I was wondering, umm…prom's coming up in like a month and a half, and I was wondering if you wanted to go—" Cordelia began.

"With you? And why would I want to do a thing like that?" Spike asked, cocking his head with a smirk.

"What?" Cordelia asked, surprised.

"Listen, luv, you think you're all hot, and yeah, you actually are, but I'm not interested. Truth is, I like my women…smart" he said, smirking bigger.

"You can leave now" another one of his friends, Kelly said. Cordelia and her friends walked away, Cordy completely stunned that she had actually been turned down.

Buffy made her way home the next morning. She had spent the night at Willow's and they had a good talk about everything. She opened the door and her mother was sitting on the couch.

"Hi, honey, have fun at Willow's?" Joyce asked.

"Umm, yeah, fine" Buffy said, putting down her stuff.

"Come here, sweetie, I have to talk to you for a second" Joyce said. Buffy went over and sat next to her mom on the couch.

"What it is?" Buffy asked.

"Well…you know how after the divorce I got custody of you and your father got custody of Dawn?" Joyce asked.

"Uh-huh" Buffy said.

"Well, umm…he's sick" Joyce said.

"What? What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"He has something wrong with his heart, that's all he told me. Dawn is going to come live here with us" Joyce said.

"Oh, okay, is dad gonna be okay?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not sure, sweetie. You know as much as I do" Joyce told her.

"Well when? I mean, when does she come?" Buffy asked.

"Tomorrow" Joyce said told her.

"Tomorrow?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Buffy asked.

"I'm sorry, honey, I just…didn't know how to tell you. And I've only known for a few days" Joyce said.

"Ok...How does Dawn feel about this?" Buffy asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I haven't talked to her yet, only your father" Joyce told her.

"Wow, ok" Buffy said, trying to take in everything.

After their talk Buffy went upstairs. She had to lie down for a while. Was her father dying? Buffy and her mother had left Los Angeles for Sunnydale seven months ago. Seven months of not seeing her sister. She did miss her, even though she could be a real brat and kind of annoying, but all little sisters were like that probably.

Buffy's eyes opened and there was sunlight. She didn't realize that she was falling asleep, it just sort of happened. She got up and went downstairs and Joyce wasn't there. She had left a note on the fridge saying that she went to pick up Dawn. Buffy got out a bowl and poured some fruity pebbles and some milk in it and began to eat. She went into the living room and turned on the television. Cartoons, a Saturday morning tradition for the sixteen year old blonde. Suddenly the door opened and Joyce and Dawn came into the house laughing and giggling like best friends. Buffy put down the bowl and stood up.

"Oh, Buffy, you're up" Joyce said.

"Yeah. Hey, Dawnie" Buffy said.

"Hi, Buffy" the ten year old smiled and hugged her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too" Buffy said.

"Umm, Buffy, since Dawn has never seen our house why don't you show her around" Joyce suggested.

"O-okay, uh, let's start down here and then we'll go upstairs" Buffy said and she and Dawn went into the kitchen. "All right, this is the kitchen, obviously. Uh, down there is the basement, out there is the back yard, uh…" they went into the dining room. "This is the dining room, and you saw the living room." They went upstairs and into Buffy's room. "Umm, this is my room, and the door's always open. Well, not literally, I don't like my door to be open, but if you ever need to talk, I'm here, just knock first." They went into Joyce's room. "This is mom's room" they went into the spare room. "And through here is you're room. I-I'll help you get it the way you want."

"Thanks" Dawn said sadly.

"What's wrong, honey?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing, I just miss dad. I'm glad to be here with you and mom, I am, I'm just worried about him" Dawn said. Buffy smiled and pushed the long brown hair out of Dawn's eyes.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Dawnie" Buffy said.

"I hope so" Buffy said and Joyce came up the stairs with some blankets and pillows.

"Uh, Buffy, Dawn's going to sleep in your room tonight since her room's not ready yet, is that okay?" Joyce asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course" Buffy said. "I'll get the roll-away." She went into Dawn's new room and got the roll-away bed out of the closet. "Here, we can put it here." She put it next to her bed.

"Okay, so, celebration in order, the Summers women together again. Lunch?" Joyce asked.

"Sure" Dawn said.

"Sure" Buffy agreed. "I'm going to get ready." Joyce and Dawn went downstairs to let Buffy get ready. She went to her closet and got out a pair of jeans and a black tan top that had a colorful, pink, orange, lime green and yellow pattern on it. She put on her black 'Jimmy Choo' heeled shoes and gray jean jacket. She put her hair in a messy bun and put on some makeup. After getting ready she went downstairs to where Dawn and Joyce were. "Okay, I'm here and pretty, let's motor."

"Okay, ready, Dawnie?" Joyce asked her youngest daughter as she grabbed her purse and jacket.

"Yep" Dawn said, putting on her jacket as well. They all went out to Cesar's Castle for lunch. After that they went shopping for new school clothes for Dawn. Once they were done, Buffy called Willow and Xander and asked them to come over.

About a half hour after Buffy called her friends, they arrived at her house.

"Hey, guys" Buffy said, letting them in.

"Hey, Buff" Xander Harris, Buffy's other best friend said as they entered the house and went into the living room.

"Hi, Ms. Summers" Willow said with a smile.

"Oh, please, Willow, call me Joyce. Ms. makes me sound like an old widow or something" Joyce said, Willow smiled again.

"Umm, Dawnie, these are my friends. This is Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris. Guys, this is my little sister, Dawn" Buffy introduced them.

"Hi" Willow said in the same friendly tone she always used.

"Hi" Dawn said.

"Nice to meet ya, Dawnmeister" Xander said, Dawn smiled. "Okay, our annual Saturday night tradition of fun. Movies, pizza, popcorn, soda, followed by lots and lots of barfing. Who's with me?"

"Umm, Dawn, we're going to watch some movies, want to join us?" Willow asked.

"Uh, sure. Is it okay, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"Of course" Buffy said.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you guys alone to your fun. The money for the pizza's on the coffee table, enjoy, I'm going to bed" Joyce said and went upstairs.

"All right, let me order the pizza and then we'll start the first movie. Xander, what ones did you bring?" Buffy asked.

"Classic horror and trilogy movies" Xander smiled, holding up the tapes.

"Please don't let the name 'The Godfather' come from your lips" Willow said.

"Okay, I'll let the guys on the TV say it" Xander said and slipped the movie into the VCR. Buffy and Willow groaned.

"Xander, every time it's your turn to bring the movies you bring 'The Godfather', what is up with you and this movie?" Buffy asked, picking up the phone.

"It's a classic" Xander said, sitting on the floor in front of the couch.

"Well after watching it 500,000 times it should be" Willow joked and took a seat on the couch, stretching her feet out to make herself more comfortable.

"What do you guys want on the pizza?" Buffy asked.

"The usual" Willow and Xander said in unison.

"Right, Dawnie, any preferences?" Buffy asked.

"Well, what are you guys getting?" Dawn asked, making herself comfortable on the oversized chair.

"We always get pepperoni, mushrooms, Canadian bacon and pineapples" Buffy told her.

"That's fine" Dawn said.

"Are you sure? You're okay with all those things?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Dawn said.

"Okay" Buffy said and ordered the pizza then took her seat next to Willow on the couch.

"So, Buffy, talk to Spike lately?" Willow asked, while they waited for the pizza to arrive.

"No, and stop it. I cannot—" Buffy began.

"Why not?" Willow asked.

"One, because of….the thing that happened, and two, he is so not interested" Buffy said.

"How do you know?" Willow asked.

"Because it's Spike Jamison okay, he's…it just won't work, and I'm ending the convo now" Buffy said.

"Who's Spike?" Dawn asked.

"Just this really hot guy that Buffy has a crush on, but she won't tell him and I know that she would have a chance with him" Willow said in one breath.

"Why are you afraid to talk to him?" Dawn asked.

"I'm not afraid, I just…okay we're done analyzing Buffy, why don't we talk about Willow and Oz, or Xander and…hey, Xand, who do you have a crush on?" Buffy asked.

"Nobody" Xander dodged.

"Oh, come on, we know you better than that, who?" Willow prodded.

"Okay fine, there is a certain girl" Xander admitted.

"Who? Harmony?" Buffy asked and her and Willow started giggling.

"No, it's not Harmony, it's…Cordelia" Xander said, coughing Cordelia's name.

"Oh my god!" Willow exclaimed as her and Buffy kneeled on either side of Xander on the floor.

"Are you serious?" Buffy asked.

"That's, uh…brave" Willow said, her and Buffy smiling.

"Yes, and I knew I shouldn't of told you crazy chicks" Xander said.

"Oh, we're sorry" Willow said sympathetically.

"Yeah, we're just kidding" Buffy said and the doorbell rang. "Oh that must be the pizza." Buffy got the money off the table and went to the door and opened it, expecting to find the pizza guy, but found Spike instead. "Uh…h—hey."

"Hey…Oh, hey, you're Buffy right? Buffy Summers?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah" Buffy said carefully.

"Hi, I'm Sp—" he began.

"Spike, I know who you are, what's up?" she asked.

"My car broke down 'few houses down. Can I use your phone?" he asked.

"Umm, sure, come in" Buffy said and let him in.

"Thanks, I'll just be a second" he said.

"Uhh, take your time, the phone's in there" Buffy said, pointing toward the kitchen and Spike went where she directed him.

"Oh my god" Willow mouthed to Buffy.

"I know" Buffy whispered and went back over to where her friends were sitting.

"Who's that guy?" Dawn asked.

"That is Buffy's fantasy lover" Willow joked and Buffy hit her playfully on the arm.

"Will, shhh!" Buffy whispered loudly.

"That's Spike?" Dawn asked, straining her neck to look into the kitchen.

"Yeah" Buffy said dreamily, and Spike came out into the living room.

"Thanks, luv, I appreciate it" he said.

"Uh, no problem" Buffy said, stumbling back up and over to where he now stood by the front door. "Do you want to sit and wait, we ordered pizza?"

"Uh, no thanks, my ride will be here any second so I'll just wait outside. Thanks again, goldilocks" Spike smiled said and left. Once he was out of the house Willow and Buffy shrieked, which made Xander cringe.

"Jeez, do you girls have to do that every time you see a guy?" he asked.

"That was not just any guy, Xander. That was Spike" Willow said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, how stupid of me" Xander said sarcastically.

"He seemed to like you" Dawn said.

"I don't know, not after what happened, no guy does" Buffy said sadly.

"Buffy, that was forever ago. I'm sure that Spike doesn't care anyway, and you had every right to do what you did" Willow said.

"I don't know, I used to think that doing the right thing would get me ahead, but it just made me sink to the ultimate low" Buffy said.

"Yeah, cuz being friends with us really sucks" Xander said sardonically.

"No, you guys, that's not was I meant. I love you guys, you know that, it's just that…I miss being popular sometimes" Buffy said.

"Buffy give Spike a chance, maybe there could be something between you two" Willow said and Buffy looked towards the door and a slight smile came over her thinking of what she and Spike could have.


	2. Ch 2

**OKAYAY, GUYS, HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS STORY, IT'S THE FIRST ONE I'VE DECIDED TO TAKE & BRING OVER TO MY NEW PROFILE FROM MY OLD ONE. PLEASE R/R!**

Buffy sighed as she entered the school. It was Monday, she hated Mondays. If it weren't for her two friends she would hate school all together. It had been this way for a while, ever since the…incident. It started off as something Buffy thought would be a good thing and turned into the thing that wrecked her reputation and entire high school existence. Since then, Buffy had been a lot more shy and introverted. The only ones that saw the real her were Xander and Willow, and it had taken quite a few weeks for her to open up to them. As Buffy walked into the cafeteria, she quickly found her friends and went and sat with them.

"Hey, guys" she said, sitting down and laying her purse on the table. Xander and Willow were distracted by something so Buffy looked over to where they were looking and saw Spike making out with some girl.

"Come on, get a room" Xander mumbled.

"They sure do look cozy" Willow said, but saw the disappointed look on Buffy's face and decided to change the subject. "H—hey, we're going to the Bronze tonight, right, Buffy?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah" Buffy said, snapping out of her daze.

"Who's playing?" Xander asked.

"Dingoes Ate my Baby" Buffy said. "Willow, maybe you could finally pin something down with Oz."

"I don't know" Willow shied away from the topic.

"Come on, Will. Seize the moment" Buffy told her.

"Well, maybe I will. If you say…ask Spike to dance tonight" Willow said with a smile and Buffy looked away. "If I'm gonna take the leap for love then so are you."

"But the difference is you and Oz could actually—" Buffy began.

"So could you and Spike" Willow interrupted.

"Well you'd feel the same way if Oz was standing over there making out with some bimbo" Buffy told her.

"Forget about her, she's probably just the girl of the moment" Willow said.

"Exactly, that's what Spike does. He isn't really the commitment type" Buffy said, turning her attention back to the bad boy hottie who was still going hot and heavy with the girl in the corner of the cafeteria.

"Look, let's make a deal. I'll try with Oz if you—at least—TRY with Spike" Willow said and Buffy sighed.

"Okay, but once he shuts me down I'm done" Buffy said, her attention still on Spike and the girl. She looked away when she saw him notice her looking. Spike smirked at her, the girl still kissing on his neck.

"Well, Xander and I have to get to trig. Are you gonna be okay?" Willow asked, getting up and grabbing her book bag.

"I'll be fine, go" Buffy smiled at her.

"Come on, Xand" Willow said and Xander stood up as well.

"Look, Buff, if Spike's too stupid to realize what an amazing girl he has a chance with, then it's his loss" Xander offered and kissed her on the forehead.

"Bye" Buffy smiled as he and Willow walked away. Buffy sat there awkwardly for a couple minutes. Since her friends in school really only consisted of Xander and Willow, not counting Mr. Giles, the librarian, Buffy really didn't like to sit alone in the cafeteria, or anywhere in school for that matter. Though this was a new school, people seemed to know about what happened and, for the first few months she was there, she would find people whispering and laughing about her. That had mostly wound down now, but people still didn't take the effort to get to know her. Suddenly she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a man clearing his throat, as if to make his presence known. Buffy looked up to find Spike standing by her table.

"Hey, pet" he said.

"H—hey" she said, her heart starting to beat quickly. She had only talked to him a few times, but every time she did she became very nervous.

"Couldn't help but notice you staring a couple minutes ago" he said, smirking at how red in the face she became.

"N—no, no, I wasn't starting" she tried to cover. _Oh, great. He probably thinks I'm some perverted weirdo_ she thought.

"What's your story, goldilocks?" he asked, cocking his head a bit. She looked up at him. She loved his English accent, it was just incredibly sexy.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you've been going to this school for almost a year, but I know hardly anything about you…except the rumors" he told her. She could feel her face flush even more.

"There just rumors" she said defensively. "I—I'm not—"

"Relax, luv. I just said I hear rumors, not that I believe them" Spike told her. "You're…mysterious. Makes me wanna figure you out." His head continued to stay cocked to the side as he looked her up and down. He smirked when he saw her blush once again.

"Not that mysterious, people just don't really take the time to do the figuring" she said plainly.

"We're gonna have to do something about that then aren't we?" he asked rhetorically, biting his bottom lip and looking her up and down once more "You going to the Bronze tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting Willow and Xander" she told him, her heart beating faster.

"Maybe I'll see you there" he said, smirking again and walking off. Buffy sighed with relief. Even though she had been crushing on him since she moved to Sunnydale, this is the first time they'd ever had an in-depth conversation. She could feel herself shaking a bit with nervousness and shook it off, heading to her first class just as the bell rang.

The day had been a long one and Buffy was looking forward to talking to Willow. She hadn't seen her much throughout the day and couldn't wait to tell her about what Spike had said to her. _Maybe I'll see you there_ , it wasn't a definite invite, but it had potential. As school let out, Buffy waited for Willow outside the school. She began to pace back and forth as the minutes ticked by, Buffy was already growing nervous about the Bronze that night and it wasn't even a date. Finally she saw her red-headed friend coming down the school steps and ran up them to meet her.

"Will, hey!" she said, meeting Willow half way up the stairs.

"Hey, Buffy" Willow said back.

"I have to talk to you, now" Buffy said direly, grabbing Willow by the arm.

"O—okay…" Willow said.

"Let's go to my house" Buffy said and they began to walk the half a mile to Buffy's house. Once there Buffy hurried Willow into the house and up the stairs.

"Hi, girls. Have a good day at school" Joyce asked as they ran past her and up the stairs.

"Fine" Buffy called down to her and she and Willow went into her room and shut the door.

"Okay, what's going on, Buffy? You wouldn't say anything on the walk home and you're scaring me" Willow said. She and Buffy sat on Buffy's bed and Buffy took a deep breathe.

"Okay, Will…Spike and I talked" Buffy told her and Willow's face turned from worried to excited and she grinned.

"Really? About what?" Willow asked, now intrigued.

"He came up to me after you and Xander went to class and started making small talk. He told me that he heard the rumors floating around about me and wondered what I was like. He also asked if I was going to the Bronze" Buffy explained.

"And what did you say?" Willow asked.

"I told him I was meeting you and Xander there later and he said, and I quote, 'maybe I'll see you there'. That's kinda like an invite, right?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"Well sure it is" Willow said enthusiastically, smiling even bigger.

"I don't know. I think it was more of an actual 'maybe I'll see you there' then an invite" Buffy said.

"Well, he still wanted to know if you were going" Willow said.

"Yeah…oh my god, I'm so nervous" Buffy said, flopping backwards on her bed and covering her face.

"Well, we're going aren't we?" Willow asked and Buffy sat back up.

"Oh, hell yes we're going. I have to look hot tonight" she told Willow and got up and went to her closet. "I mean, really hot."

"Okay, well, we'll make sure you look perfect. Spike won't be able to resist you" Willow assured her as she joined the blonde at her closet. Buffy was already flipping through the hangers looking for the right outfit.

"I just hope he isn't there with some dumb tramp" Buffy said, frowning. "Those are the girls he usually brings or meets there, easy ones."

"Well, maybe he's looking for something different" Willow offered.

"Uh, why am I so nervous? This is torture…but the good kind" Buffy said, smiling and Willow smiled back.

"Don't be nervous, you're gonna be fine" she told her. "You go ahead and get ready and I'm gonna go home and get ready too. I'll tell Xander to meet us here at around 8, okay?"

"Wait, you're leaving? Will, I need your help" Buffy told her.

"Buff, you know I'm not good at this stuff. I think you'll do much better getting ready on your own seeing as how I would only be watching anyway. I promise tonight is gonna be good, okay? I'll be back in a couple hours" Willow said and headed for the door.

"Okay" Buffy gave up. "Don't be late, okay?"

"Promise" Willow said, leaving and shutting the door behind her. She heard her friend walk down the stairs, say goodbye to her mother and sister and then leave. A couple minutes later she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and a knock at her door.

"Buffy, can I come in?" Dawn asked, peeking her head in the door.

"Yeah, Dawnie, come in" Buffy told her, still flipping through hangers at her closet. Dawn came in, shut the door and sat on Buffy's bed.

"Are you going somewhere? What's with the frantic clothes search?" Dawn asked.

"The guys and I are going to The Bronze tonight. It's the local club here in Sunnydale" Buffy told her and pulled out an outfit. She put the Dress up to her body and looked in the mirror. "No." She put it back in her closet and pulled out a short black skirt and pink halter-top. She did the same with this outfit, holding it up to herself while looking in the mirror. "Perfect." She tossed the outfit on her bed and went to look for shoes.

"Can I go?" Dawn asked. Buffy looked at her and smiled.

"Dawnie, you have to be at least fourteen to get into the Bronze, I'm sorry" she told Dawn.

"Oh" Dawn said sadly and sighed.

"How about you and me have a sister day this Saturday? We'll go shopping, go to lunch, anything you want" Buffy offered and Dawn smiled.

"Really?" Dawn asked. "The whole day?"

"The whole day, clear your schedule" Buffy told her.

"Okay, deal" Dawn said, getting up. "I'll let you get ready for tonight. Is that guy you like gonna be there? Spike or whatever?"

"Yeah, I think so" Buffy said.

"He'd be stupid to not want to be with you, Buffy. You're awesome and I'm sure you're way prettier than any of the other girls in your class" Dawn told her.

"Thanks" Buffy smiled and Dawn left, shutting the door behind her. Buffy held the outfit she intended to wear up to the mirror once more and sighed.

Two hours later Buffy had showered and gotten ready. She put on the outfit she chose earlier with a pair of black wedges. She put her bangs up in a poof with some bobby pins and put on some sexy makeup. As she stood, looking in the mirror, she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in" Buffy said, still staring at the mirror, making some last minute adjustments and Willow walked in.

"Wow, Buffy, you look awesome" Willow told her and she turned to face her.

"Thanks, do you think Spike will like it?" Buffy asked.

"Definitely" Willow said. "Xander said he'd meet us at the Bronze instead of here."

"Why? We always meet here" Buffy asked and Willow shrugged.

"Beats me" she said. "Do I look okay, Buffy?"

"You look great, Will. Oz is gonna totally gush" Buffy told her and she blushed.

"Let's deal with one match make at a time, okay?" she said nervously.

"Hey, if I can be brave enough to get to know Spike then you should be brave enough to get to know Oz" Buffy said, looking at her alarm clock. It was almost eight o'clock. "We should get going."

"Okay" Willow said. Buffy grabbed her leather jacket and her purse and she and Willow made their way downstairs.

"Be home by midnight, mom" Buffy called to Joyce as she and Willow began to leave.

"Be safe, hun. Have fun" Joyce called from the kitchen.

Buffy and Willow arrived at the Bronze fifteen minutes later and went to their usual table. The place was hopping; most everyone from her junior class was there along with some seniors she recognized. The music was blaring and everyone was dancing and having a great time.

"Do you see—" Buffy began.

"Spike? He's right over there" Willow pointed and Buffy looked behind her to where Spike was talking to a few of his friends.

"I was gonna say Xander, but…maybe I should go say 'hey'. I mean, he did ask if I was gonna be here tonight, right? It would be rude not to say anything to him" Buffy said.

"Of course" Willow agreed.

"O—or maybe I should wait for him to come over here. I don't wanna seem desperate or something" Buffy second guessed herself.

"Maybe" Willow said.

"What would I even say?" Buffy asked, mainly to herself. "Like, 'hey, you said maybe I'll see you there and here I am'? That just sounds lame."

"Well, you better figure out what you're gonna say quick" Willow told her.

"Why?" Buffy asked.

"Cuz he's comin this way" Willow said and Buffy turned around to see Spike walking over to her. Her heart started pounding as he came up to her table.

"Hey, luv" he said. _Oh, god, that accent is so sexy_ she thought and smiled nervously at him.

"Hey" she said.

"Umm...I'm gonna…go find Xander" Willow said and got up.

"Will, you don't have to—" Buffy began.

"I'll be back" Willow assured her and walked away. Buffy looked at Spike and smiled again, feeling very uneasy and nervous. He smirked back at her.

"Can I sit?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course" Buffy told him and he sat next to her. A couple beats of uncomfortable silence passed before Spike spoke up.

"So…" he said, trying to start a conversation. Buffy could feel her hands shaking and put them under the table on her lap so that he didn't notice how nervous she was.

"So…" she repeated.

"So, how long have you been here now? In Sunnydale I mean?" he asked.

"My mom and I moved here a little over seven months ago" Buffy told him.

"From?" he asked.

"L.A." she told him. "My parents got divorced about a year and a half ago and my dad got custody of my little sister and my mom got me. We lived in a small apartment in Los Angeles for a few months after the divorce, but then…something happened, at my old school, and…I just couldn't be there anymore."

"Yeah, I've heard the rumors" Spike said.

"Yeah, I've heard some of them too. People treat me like I have the plague or something. Before all this shit happened, I was actually popular. I was the Cordelia Chase of Hemery High" Buffy chuckled and Spike smirked at her.

"If you ask me that isn't really a good thing" he said. "Cordelia thinks she can have any guy she wants, but, to me, it's a turn off."

"What is?"

"That whole 'I rule the school' attitude" Spike told her.

"Guys do think she's hot" Buffy said.

"And she is" Spike said. "But looks fade, luv. At the end of the day, if all you have to show for yourself is your looks then you really don't have shit." Buffy smiled at him. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…I never thought a guy like you would ever be interested in even having a conversation with me" she told him.

"A guy like me? And what type of guy do you think I am, pet?" he asked, cocking his head to the side a bit and looking at her.

"I just meant…never mind" she hesitated, picking her nails in apprehension.

"Oh, now you have to tell me" he said, smirking at her uneasiness.

"It's just…you're hot. You're like the hottest guy in school. I didn't think you'd ever be interested in anything I had to say" Buffy said. She glanced up at him and he was still smirking, biting his bottom lip a bit as he stared at her. She could feel her face getting red.

"Hot, huh?" he asked.

"Like you don't know how sexy you are" Buffy said.

"Now I'm sexy too? Well, if I didn't know any better I'd think you had a crush, luv" Spike teased. She smiled nervously.

"No, I…uh…" she hesitated, wanting desperately to change the conversation to something a little less humiliating.

"You're not exactly hideous yourself, goldilocks" he told her.

"Thanks…I think" she said and he got up.

"How about a dance before I head out?" he asked, sticking his hand out to her.

"Sure" she said, butterflies forming deep in her stomach. She got up and took his hand and he lead her into the crowd of people dancing. She was so nervous by this point. She had been nervous since he came over to her, but now she was going to dance with him. She couldn't believe this was happening. As the song ended and another one came on they began to dance. As they moved along to the music he put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They began to grind a little and she turned around, her back to him. They continued to dance and he put his arms around her waist, keeping her close. She began to relax as they moved along rhythmically. Spike could feel his jeans getting tighter as he became turned on from her grinding movements on him. He moved his pelvis away slightly, not wanting her to notice the bulge in his pants. The song came to an end and she turned to face him again.

"You're a great dancer, luv" he told her.

"Thanks" she smiled. "I love to dance, but don't get asked much anymore." He followed her to her table and she sat back down, sipping from the straw that was in her diet coke.

"Well, it's been fun, pet, but I should push off" he said.

"Okay…it was nice talking to you" Buffy told him.

"Ditto" he said, taking her hand and kissing it. He gave her another quick smirk before leaving the club. Once he was out of sight, Willow and Xander came up to the table and sat down.

"Holy cow" Willow breathed excitedly.

"I know" Buffy beamed. She couldn't believe what had just happened. It might not have seemed like much to most people, but to her it was a huge deal.

"Did you like dancing with him?" Willow asked. "You two looked all sexy out there on the dance floor."

"Really?" Willow nodded. "Yeah, it was fun. I was totally nervous at first. I'm surprised I didn't step all over his feet, but after a while I got much more comfortable and confident."

"Well, the confidence definitely showed" Willow told her. "You looked amazing out there."

"Yeah, it was a different side of you, Buff. You should be like that more often. You know, confident" Xander said.

"I used to be" Buffy said.

"And could be again. You just proved that a few minutes ago" Willow told her. Buffy sighed.

"I think I'm gonna head home" Buffy told them, getting up and grabbing her jacket and purse.

"Already? We've only been here like an hour" Willow said.

"If that" Xander added.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just…" Buffy said.

"What's wrong, Buff? I thought you'd be super happy right now after dancing and talking with Spike" Willow questioned.

"I'm not unhappy, I'm just kinda tired" Buffy said. "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow." She put on her jacket and took one last sip of soda.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Xander asked.

"Yes, totally. All kinds of fine in Buffy town" Buffy assured them.

"Okay, see you tomorrow" Willow said.

"Be safe" Xander told her.

"Always" Buffy smiled and left.

Buffy walked home slowly thinking about her short, but incredible night. She was in such a good mood. She never expected Spike to ever take any interest in her. Sure, it was just a dance, but now maybe she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable to talk to him at school. When Buffy got to her house she walked up the porch steps and in the front door. Her mother and sister were sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hi, sweetie. You're home early" Joyce said as Buffy sat in the oversized chair, drooping her legs over the arm.

"Yeah" Buffy said plainly, but dreamy-eyed. She wasn't really paying attention to anything around her; she was too busy thinking about Spike.

"Are you okay, honey? Did you have a bad night?" Joyce questioned at her daughter's appearance. "Buffy?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was zoned out there for a minute" Buffy said, snapping out of it.

"How was your night?" Dawn asked.

"It was…great actually" Buffy smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it" Joyce told her.

"Do you wanna watch some tv with us, Buffy?" Dawn asked, but Buffy got up.

"No thanks, sweetie. I'm kinda tired, I think I'm just gonna go to bed" she said, stretching and yawning a bit.

"Are you sure?" Joyce asked and Buffy nodded. "Okay, goodnight, sweet dreams."

"Night" Buffy said and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She shut her door and changed into her pajamas and then crawled into bed, covering herself with her comforter and snuggling into her pillows. She yawned again and began to think about Spike again. She smiled as she remembered them dancing together and the way he held on to her. She knew not to get her hopes up, that a dance didn't mean that they'd end up together or even be good friends. She was just glad that he, at the very least, noticed her. She drifted off to sleep awhile later still thinking of her evening at the Bronze.

Buffy's alarm clock went off the next morning with the blaring of a song from her favorite radio station. She sleepily slammed down on the off button with her fist and rolled over, stretched and sat up. Just then there was a knock at her door and Dawn entered.

"Morning, Buffy" Dawn said cheerfully as she plopped on Buffy's bed.

"Morning, Dawnie. Why are you so chipper so early?" Buffy asked, she herself was not, by any means, a morning person.

"I'm just in a good mood" Dawn smiled. "I talked to daddy a few minutes ago. He said he's feeling a lot better."

"That's great" Buffy said and went over to her closet to choose her outfit for the day.

"I'll let you get dressed. Mom made pancakes and bacon for breakfast" Dawn said and ran downstairs. Buffy couldn't help but smile at her little sister. She was glad that Dawn was enjoying her life living with her and their mother. After careful consideration, Buffy finally chose a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a fitted pink and black tank and a pink zip-up hoodie that had 'The Deadhand' in black letters. She put on her pink and white Nike tennis shoes and put her hair in a messy bun with a black headband and put on just enough makeup to accentuate her green eyes. After getting dressed she grabbed her book bag and purse and ran downstairs to join her sister and mother for breakfast.

"Morning, sweetie. You look nice" Joyce said as she put two plates of food on the island for her daughters.

"Thanks" Buffy said.

"Well, it's getting late, girls. Hurry up and eat so, Buffy, you don't miss the bus and, Dawnie, we're not late driving you to school" Joyce told them.

Buffy whistled to herself as she entered the school. She was in a good mood and she was, for the first time, actually happy to be there. She walked into the cafeteria and looked for Willow and Xander and found them quickly where they usually sat.

"Hey, friends" Buffy said cheerfully as she sat with Willow and Xander at their table.

"Hey, Buff. You seem to be in a good mood this am" Xander said.

"I am" Buffy smiled. "I just…I don't know, have a good feeling about things."

"Ooh, Buffy, don't look now, but Spike's sittin over there all by his lonesome" Willow said jokingly. "Maybe you should go keep him company."

"You think?" Buffy questioned, looking over to where Spike sat alone with his headphones on listening to his mp3 player.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind" Willow told her. Buffy stood up, her heart starting to race, and walked over to Spike's table. He was leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed listening to music and didn't notice when she walked up beside him. Buffy stood there for a minute or so before tapping him on his shoulder. He shot up, startled.

"Bloody hell" he said, taking off his headphones and looking at her. "Oh, what do you want, goldilocks?"

"Uh, I—I just wanted to, um…say hi" Buffy said. "I saw you were sitting here alone and—"

"I'm alone because I prefer it that way in the morning. Not much of a morning person" he told her.

"Me either" she smiled awkwardly, trying to make conversation. He cocked his head to the side, like he always did when he looked her up and down.

"Anything else, luv?" he asked, smirking inside when he noticed how nervous she looked. She started picking at her cuticles and fingernails.

"Um…no, I—I guess not" she said and turned to walk away.

"Hey, goldilocks" he called after her and she turned back around.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna have lunch with me this afternoon? I was plannin on ditchin the cafeteria food for something edible" he asked her.

"Uh, juniors aren't allowed to leave for—" she began.

"I'm a senior" he told her.

"But, I'm a junior" she told him.

"Your choice, pet. It's no big if you're scared. I can eat alone" he said.

"N—no, I'd love to go with you" Buffy smiled at him and he smirked back.

"It's a date then" he told her. "Meet me in front of the school at noon."

"You got it" Buffy smiled. "I'm gonna go back to my…"

"Right, see you later then" Spike said and she backed away a few steps before turning and walking back to Xander and Willow.

"So?" Willow asked when Buffy sat back down at their table.

"He…asked me to have lunch today" Buffy said, a little surprised. "We're gonna go out to eat, like…not here."

"You're ditching?" Willow asked a little unbelievably.

"It's just for lunch. What's the harm in it?"

"Snyder's gonna have your head if he catches you" Xander told her. The principal had had it out for Buffy ever since she transferred a little over seven months ago. Her record at her high school in Los Angeles, Hemery High, had followed her to Sunnydale and Principal Snyder was convinced Buffy was a troublemaker and was always looking for reasons to kick her out.

"Well, he won't find out as long as we're back before 6th period" Buffy told her friends. Xander and Willow looked at each other skeptically. "What's the looks for?"

"Are you sure you should be doing this just because Spike asked you?" Willow asked. Buffy sighed.

"We just don't want you to get in trouble, Buff" Xander told her. "But we'll do whatever we can to cover for you if you want to go."

"Really?" Buffy asked and Xander nudged Willow in the arm.

"Of course, have a good time" Willow said and Buffy smiled and hugged them.

"Thank you guys" she said happily as the bell rang. "Oh, I have to get to math. Will, I'll see you in 2nd period for history, okay?"

"Okay, see ya" Willow said and Buffy walked, almost skipped away. Willow sighed with uncertainty as she watched her blonde friend disappear into the crowd of students walking to their classes. "I hope this infatuation with Spike isn't gonna get her in trouble." Willow and Xander also walked to their classes.

Buffy watched as the clock hit 11:55am. She was sitting in her history class with Willow just waiting for it to be over and for it to be lunchtime. She was really nervous, but more excited to be, not only alone with Spike, but practically on a date with him. She tapped her pencil on her notebook and sighed as the clock hand slowly made its way around the clock.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked.

"Just anxious" Buffy told her, keeping her eyes on the clock on the wall.

"Where are you guys going?" Willow asked, trying to take Buffy's attention off the minutes on the clock.

"I don't know, he didn't say" Buffy said.

"Are you nervous?" Willow asked her.

"Yeah" Buffy admitted. "We've just never been alone before. What if we run out of things to talk about and we just sit there in uncomfortable silence?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, better than fine, it'll be great" Willow assured her. Buffy looked over and the clock said 11:58am. Buffy sighed with frustration and began to put her stuff back into her backpack so she was ready when the bell rang. "What if he wants to make out with you?"

"What?" Buffy asked surprised. She had honestly not even thought that could be an option. Now that Willow said it, she was even more nervous that he'd want to make out with her, or do other things. He was way more sexually experienced than she was. She had only ever kissed a guy; she had never gone past second base. "Oh my god, what if he wants to like, have sex with me or something?"

"Okay, I said 'make out', that's all" Willow told her.

"Yeah, but Spike has done all that stuff before, even sex. What if he wants to?" Buffy asked again and the bell rang. As the students got up and headed out of the classroom to lunch Buffy just sat there, paralyzed with nervousness.

"Buffy, the bell rang. It's lunchtime, you don't want to keep Spike waiting" Willow said.

"Oh, god, I don't know if I can do this" Buffy said, starting to panic.

"Okay, calm down. You guys are just having lunch, I'm sure nothing like that is gonna happen" Willow said, trying to sound reassuring. She grabbed Buffy by the arms and stood her up. "You can do this."

"Right. Right, I can do this. Okay…I can do this" Buffy repeated to herself as she grabbed her stuff and headed out of the school to find Spike.

 **AN: I KNOW THIS WAS A LONG CHAPTER, BUT I HOPE Y'ALL LIKE IT! PLS R/R & I'LL UPDATE SOON!**


End file.
